The 2017 NCAA women's golf championship in Division I plays out this year at Rich Harvest Farms, just outside of Chicago, with an exciting format leading to the crowning of a winning national champion.

The NCAA women's golf championship format is similar to that of the men's championship, with effectively two tournaments in one that are played over two separate stages.

The format begins with a 72-hole championship that crowns the NCAA individual champion and determines the eight teams which move on to the team match-play tournament to figure out the national champions. The tournament runs Friday through Monday. The match-play rounds are played Tuesday and Wednesday.

Regional qualifying for the 72-hole championship played out over four events, with the top six teams at each regional qualifying for the national championship. That means 24 teams of five players qualify for the championship tournament, as well 12 individual players (three from each regional) that placed best among teams that didn't qualify for the championship.

At the 72-hole stroke play national championship, 132 players compete with a cut made after 54 holes to the low 15 teams and low nine individuals on non-qualifying teams. At the end of 72 holes, the eight best teams moving on to match play and an individual national champion is crowned.

In the match play bracket, there are five matches, with the coaches deciding each team's lineup. Each 18-hole match is worth a point, and there cannot be a tie. The team that wins the most match points moves on to the subsequent round.

Golf Channel airs the NCAA women's Division I championship, including all of the eight-team match-play bracket.

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